Reporting on the war in Iran meant working through a total information vacuum. The Iranian government had enforced a strict digital blockade before the conflict even began, making the transmission of any data nearly impossible. To break through, CBC News assembled a very small, specialized “chase” team. This entry represents that team’s high-stakes effort to bypass the blockade, with production support from The National’s social media unit to bring these stories to a digital audience.
The core of this entry is the verified testimony of Iranians living through the conflict. Because the government’s digital firewall was designed to kill all outward communication, our small team’s greatest challenge was human: finding people on the ground who could gain any form of internet access to send us these files. These contributors demonstrated immense bravery, taking significant personal risks not just to report on the war, but to express how the conflict was providing them with a newfound sense of hope.
To manage the high stakes of these communications, we established contact through secure, encrypted channels. Fostering trust was essential; we worked closely with these brave individuals to ensure their stories could be told safely. To protect them from state identification, we treated these voices with the same level of security as a hidden face, altering the audio in the final report to ensure their identities remained protected while their message of defiance remained clear.
This investigation was designed to meet a mobile-first audience where they live. By combining the rigorous “chase” reporting with specialized social media production—using clear subtitles and high-impact visuals—we turned “invisible” audio into a compelling visual experience. We provided a rare, unfiltered account of the conflict, ensuring the stories the regime tried to erase reached an audience looking for the truth behind the blockade.
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